To promote Hakka culture in southern Taiwan, an exhibition organized by the Taiwan Hakka Culture Development Center (THCDC) on the Iudui (右堆) Hakka settlement is taking place at the Liudui Hakka Cultural Park in Pingtung from Sept. 25, 2019 through Dec. 20, 2020.

Located in the south of Taiwan, Liudui — an established Hakka region that straddles Kaohsiung and Pingtung — has six Hakka settlements that consist of Zuodui (左堆), Iudui (右堆), Qiandui (前堆), Houdui (後堆), Zhongdui (中堆), and Xianfengdui (先鋒堆). As one of Liudui’s six settlements, Iudui, meaning “the settlement on the right side,” covers Kaohsiung’s Meinong (美濃), Liugui (六龜), Jiaxian (甲仙), and Shanlin (杉林) areas, and Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹).

Surrounded by hills, Iudui is characterized by special terrains that attracted many Hakka people from northern Taiwan in the era of Japanese rule on account of its fertile lands and the government’s policies promoting southern expansion. The region’s landscapes, specialties, customs, religious beliefs, and culture set it apart from other Hakka settlements in the Liudui region.

Contrasting the agrarian and cultural development of the past and present, the exhibition showcases the tourist attractions of Iudui by recreating its landscapes with the aid of technology and new media, including LED effects for the Jhuzimen Hydro Plant (竹仔門發電廠), the sound of running water to represent irrigation canals, a virtual display of Dajin Waterfall (大津瀑布), and figurines of the pheasant-tailed jacana from Meinong Lake, to bring sensory elements to the exhibition.

Hakka Affairs Council Deputy Minister Yiong Cong-ziin (楊長鎮) stated that although Iudui was the latest to become developed out of the six Liudui areas, its isolated terrain helped the local populace preserve more traditional Hakka culture and develop unique religious folk beliefs. When facing natural disasters and ethnic conflicts during the period of reclamation in the past, residents sought comfort from spiritual and religious faith, which contributed to the worship of the Daluguan Stone Lions (大路關石獅公) for calm weather and religious ceremonies for Hakka martyrs who sacrificed their lives to defend their homeland.